Bike India

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine

  • Home
  • News
    • Upcoming Launches
    • Latest News
    • New Bike Launches
  • Reviews
    • First Ride
    • Road Test
    • Comparison
  • Features
  • Our Bikes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • NG Auto
    • AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
    • CAR INDIA
    • COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
  • Brands

Biking Across Continents

July 21, 2011 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Angelika Weber“I remember very well my first ride on a bike about 30 years ago. We had bought a brand-new Yamaha 550 XT, a 550-cc, one-cylinder off-road bike with a fantastic acceleration that was a recent release at that time. The publicity slogan was, ‘Ride the Bull’, and the experience was exactly that. Rough, tough, no self-starter, but with a high fun factor. I learned to ride it in a gravel pit. A hard school, but very effective. Of course, I also had to go to the driving school. I was very lucky to get a good teacher. He had the ambition to teach me how to ride a bike, not just how to move one. Later on, I underwent several training courses, which helped me a lot to improve my skill and gave me a lot of self-confidence too.

“My next bike was a BMW 800 GS with a two-cylinder Boxer engine. Much heavier, but much more comfortable for long rides. This one was followed by a Honda 650 Dominator and the last motorcycle I owned in Germany was a BMW F 650 GS, all of them off-road bikes. I preferred this kind of bikes because they are lighter and more manoeuvrable than street bikes or choppers – perfect for rough and narrow roads. Unfortunately, they are not available here in India.

 

“I lived in Munich, which is very close to the Alps, and therefore I did a number of wonderful rides through the mountains to Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France – sometimes with friends, sometimes alone. I rode on all kinds of roads, also unpaved passes through snow and ice, and I enjoyed all of them. Now I am living and working in south Kerala. More than three years ago I bought a used Bajaj Pulsar 180 which I still possess. On that bike I got used to the chaotic Indian traffic and rustic roads, especially to the left-hand drive rule in India. One thing that really shocked me (and still does) was the rude manner of many people. One of the basic things we learn in Germany is politeness when participating in road traffic. Give way to others and try your best not to bring yourself or others into dangerous situations. Here in Kerala it seems that many drivers don’t obey traffic rules and drink-driving seems to be normal. In most European countries they would immediately lose their licence for a long time and get a severe punishment. Nevertheless, I love to ride bikes. It opens my heart and my mind. A few weeks ago I made a one-week trip to the Kerala mountains, up to Munnar, Marayoor and Thekkady, mostly on small roads. I drove through the tea plantations and rainforest, saw wild elephants passing the road in front of me – fantastic! Even though I was alone, I enjoyed it immensely. Often I have been asked whether it is boring to drive alone. Boring? When I ride on my bike I don’t need anybody else. Of course, in the evening and during the breaks it makes for greater fun if you have someone to share the experiences. Maybe next time?

 

 


Dr Angelika Weber, a German lady with a passion for motorcycling, has been living and working in ‘God’s own country’ for the past three years following her marriage to an Indian. She recounts her experience of riding an Indian motorcycle and coming to terms with our chaotic traffic after nearly 30 years of owning and riding various bikes across Europe.


m.salvi@nextgenpublishing.net'

Bike India Team – who has written 996 posts on Bike India.


Email

Related posts:

Stripe Livery in Iceberg White for Ducati Supersport 950 S
Tripper Navigation for Royal Enfield 650 Twins
Jawa Yezdi Get Tech Boost

Filed Under: Clubs & Individuals, Features

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AlphaOmega Captcha Classica  –  Enter Security Code
 ⟲    ➴
 


LATEST ISSUE

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

17TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

Triumph Street Triple 765 R and RS Review | The Best Street Triple Yet

Ducati Diavel V4 Review | Devil of the Mountain

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 first ride | Aspi Bhathena

SPECIAL Featured Story

Bookings Opened For New 2023 Yamaha Models

Bookings Opened For New 2023 Yamaha Models

Bookings for the new 2023 Yamaha models, the YZF-R3, MT-03, YZF-R7 and MT-07 have started across India. Yamaha dealers are accepting reservations for a refundable booking amount of Rs 3,000. In the coming months, these bikes are anticipated to make a formal appearance.

More about this.

Recent Posts

  • Lumax Lubricants and Coolants Launched
  • Simple One Launched in India
  • Geoffrey Emmanuel in FIM World Championship JuniorGP
  • Harley-Davidson X440 July Launch

Car India

Car India Magazine - Get your Digital Subscription

Latest News

Lumax Lubricants and Coolants Launched

Simple One Launched in India

Geoffrey Emmanuel in FIM World Championship JuniorGP

Harley-Davidson X440 July Launch

Subscribe to Car India

Subscribe to our Car India Magazine

Bike India: India’s no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
SiteMap

Copyright © 2023 · BIKE INDIA INDIA’S NO. 1 TWO WHEELER MAGAZINE, BY FAR! ·